Heat management for electronic enclosures

Abstract

An enclosure and method for housing electrical components. The enclosure includes walls provided about the electrical components, the walls having poor thermal conductivity. At least one thermal transport device extends through at least one respective wall. The at least one thermal transport device has a first portion which is positioned within the enclosure, a second portion which is positioned outside of the enclosure and a transition portion which connects the first portion to the second portion. The at least one thermal transport device has a high effective thermal conductivity and provides a high thermal conductivity path for heat energy to pass from within the enclosure to outside the enclosure.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention is directed to heat management systems and processes. More particularly, the present invention is directed to systems which utilize thermal transport devices to provide high conductive paths for heat energy through walls of an enclosure.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In electronic as well as non-electronic devices, enclosures are commonly used to house device components. These enclosures perform several functions including providing structural support to the device components and vibration dampening. The enclosures are also referred to as housings. One example of an enclosure for an electronic device is a computer chassis. Typically, a computer includes a chassis that is generally a metallic frame. The chassis typically houses circuit boards, power supplies and wiring. The chassis typically includes four sidewalls and top and bottom elements. Generally, at least one of the chassis includes a removable cover such that the chassis co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent is about a way to transfer heat from inside a container made of composite material to the outside using a device that uses latent heat. The method involves collecting the heat from the inside of the container at an evaporator, conducting it through the wall of the container to a condenser, and then releasing it outside. The device used has very high thermal conductivity, allowing for efficient transfer of heat.

Problems solved by technology

The walls often enclose device components that can malfunction and cause device failure when they overheat.

Some device components dissipate heat during their operation.

The heat generated by the heat sources can damage not only the heat sources themselves but also the other components enclosed by the walls.

While composite structures can provide these savings, they exhibit poor thermal conductivity.

This has limited their application to components with little to no heat flux or power.

Thermal challenges have arisen with the increased use of composite structures in applications where excess heat is being generated within the structure.

Where traditional metal structures can be designed to conduct and spread heat out over large external surfaces, composites have poor thermal conductivity and cannot be used in this manner.

As a result, heat generated by components is trapped and the inside becomes hotter and hotter, which is detrimental to the performance and reliability of the electronics housed by the enclosure.

Therefore, the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites for electronic enclosures is currently limited to applications where the heat dissipation requirement is low.

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